In September 2008, a train accident near Chatsworth California killed 25 passengers and injured more than 135. Since commuter Metrolink was so clearly at fault for this accident, observers have said the company could have been on the hook for nearly $400 million in damages if not for a 1997 law that limits the liability for train accidents at $200 million. While this is great for Metrolink, it leaves hundreds of wrongful death and catastrophic injury victims out of the funds they deserve. This week, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Peter D. Lichtman Jr. concluded the case with a ruling that emphasizes the incredibly difficult task of allotting funds to victims that deserve much more.
Posts Tagged ‘settlements’
California Train Accident Ruling Disappoints Metrolink Victims
Posted Thursday, July 21st, 2011Are Loan Companies for Personal Injury Lawsuits Dangerous?
Posted Tuesday, January 18th, 2011Even after a personal injury lawsuit is settled, it can take a long time for plaintiffs to receive their settlement or award. Often, this presents major problems for the plaintiff, who may have been seriously injured in the accident and is having trouble paying the bills. These plaintiffs face the difficult question of whether to accept loans from high-interest legal financing companies, the subject of a major New York Times story this weekend. While the companies provide much-needed funds in difficult times, they are mostly unregulated by state and federal agencies, meaning they are not bound by financial ethics rules that govern banks.
7 Massive Class Action Lawsuits of the Past Two Decades
Posted Wednesday, July 21st, 2010It has been a big year for class action lawsuits. Most recently, thousands of Toyota drivers have sued the Japanese auto giant for injuries and loss of investment resulting from unintended acceleration, and victims of the BP Gulf oil spill disaster are lining up to take on the British oil conglomerate in court. Both of those budding class action battles pale in comparison to the legal storm about to engulf WalMart, which is being sued for gender discrimination by more than a million women in potentially the largest class action suit ever. To put this in perspective, we decided to round up a list of other massive class action titans over the past two decades.
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Beckley Mason is Director of Client Outreach for GJEL Accident Attorneys.
His primary roles at GJEL are to help ensure that clients are kept apprised of the status of their case, answer questions about the firm via phone, email, and Twitter, help tell the firm’s story to prospective clients via our website, and maintain the consumer resource sections of our news center and blog.
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